Seen in the picture is Amir of Kuwait with the Pope at Vatican yesterday.
This is the sign of strong bond between Kuwait and Vatican.
Kuwait is one of the first countries in the Arab World to establish diplomatic relationship with Vatican and possibly the first from the Gulf. According to Vatican tradition, Vatican does not approach others to establish diplomatic relationship with it but the process is the other way round. During the last so many years of diplomatic link with Vatican, Kuwait has gained lot of goodwill from all around the globe. When Kuwait was invaded on 2nd August 1990 by Iraq under Saddam Hussein, early in the morning our Holy Family Cathedral was surrounded by Iraqi Millitary Tanks giving an impression that Iraqis are going to demolish our Cathedral. And to do this brutality was not difficult for the Iraqi beastly invaders when on the same day at noon they have fired at one of the Holy Mosques at Abbasiya and destroyed its beautiful Dome. While I was escaping from the clutches of Iraqi soldiers early in the morning on 2nd Aug., 1990, behind Sheraton and trying to take shelter in the Church Compound, I was caught and severely punished by two of the Iraqi soldiers preventing me from going towards the Cathedral. (My forthcoming Autobiography will throw more light on the events happened on the first day of the invasion). My contention was that since Kuwait Church is having diplomatic relationship with Iraq, why the hell Iraqi soldiers should harm it?
When Iraq invaded Kuwait, our the then Pope at Vatican felt extremely hurt and when the time came to start the war “Desert Storm” to liberate Kuwait, after obtaining all the okays from all around the globe, including from UN, President Bush Sr. of USA contacted our Pope at Vatican for his nod and when Pope finally consented, the war for the liberation of Kuwait started. During the first few months of the liberation of Kuwait, lot of Church and Catholic emissaries visited Kuwait as a sign of support for the Kuwait Church and the Catholics residing in Kuwait. Catholics in particular and Christians in general played a pivotal role in helping the process of liberation of Kuwait. All the three major warring nations against Iraq to liberate Kuwait were Christians namely USA, UK and France. If it was not for the efforts of Christian nations, Kuwait would not be what it is now – an independent sovereign nation. Kuwait an Islamic country invaded by another Islamic country Iraq was finally liberated by Christian countries and our Pope at Vatican supported this move. When President Bush Sr. was accused by some Muslim leaders sympathetic to Saddam Hussein of interfering in this war, he told everyone in the presence of Michael Gorbachev of Soviet Russia that “this war in the Persian Gulf is not the war between Christians and Muslims. It is a war between Muslims and Muslims; America is just gone there to help our Muslim friends. The war in the Persian Gulf is not the war between West and East. It is a war between East and East. West is just gone there to help its friends”.
While Christian nations were physically fighting the war for the liberation of Kuwait, we the Kuwait evacuee Christian Catholics from Goa in India under the banner of Goa-Kuwait Solidarity Center were campaigning very hard during the invasion period to raise our voice against the invasion of Kuwait and in support of the liberation of Kuwait. We were trying to pressurize Indian Government at Delhi to give open and clear support for all concerned for the liberation movement of Kuwait and for all the resolutions introduced at UN for the cause of Kuwait. And finally our voice was heard in Delhi. Kuwaiti Ambassador in Delhi at that time acknowledged the effects of our support, Government of Kuwait in exile based at Taif in Saudi Arabia also acknowledged our support with their communications directly to me since the movement in Goa in support of Kuwait was done under my initiative. The photographic Album of our movement when seen by the Vatican Emissary in Kuwait Monsg. Andreas, he patted me saying “when I need, I will surely make use of it with the local dignitaries and officials to make them aware of the contribution of the Catholics in the process of the liberation of Kuwait”. Under the guidance of Fr. Pinto, the same Album was kept for display in the Parlour of Cathedral and was seen by innumerable dignitaries, visitors and officials especially Western who used to visit the Church.
After the liberation of Kuwait, we in Kuwait under Goa-Kuwait Solidarity Center organized another movement in support of the freedom of Kuwait’s POW’s. This was independent movement, independent from Indian Embassy though Indian Diplomats including Indian Ambassador Addressed our annual meetings organized at Hotel Plaza. These meetings were also attended and addressed by top local officials mainly from the Interior Ministry, local top personalities including members of the ruling family who always patted me for taking up the issues of Kuwaiti interest. When I went to Delhi leading a delegation of Goa-Kuwait Solidarity Center to campaign for the freedom of Kuwait’s POW’s, many personalities and dignitaries in Delhi including the then Foreign Minister of India could not believe I am a Christian fighting for the cause of Islamic country. So much so, when Fr. Gabriel Dias a Goan Carmelite Priest from Kuwait Church addressed one of our meeting in this connection at Hotel Plaza in the midst of top Kuwaitis including Rola Dashti and other dignitaries from different communities and nationalities, everyone was stunned to listen to Fr. Gabriel’s intellectual oratory on the subject in question. And who was Fr. Gabriel? He was a Roman Catholic Priest and as a representative of Catholic Church he proved to outside world how Catholic Church of Kuwait supports Kuwait’s cause. I am yet to see another Catholic priest in Kuwait as intellectual orator as Fr. Gabriel. Earlier as second in command of Kuwait’s Writers Guild, I invited Fr. Gabriel to deliver a lecture on “Christianity and Humanity”, the entire gathering consisting of great writers, poets, intellectuals, diplomats and few Ambassadors was astonished to listen to this Catholic Priest.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
